The Feinaki 2020 Beijing Animation Week came to a close on Sunday, giving a stage to artists to share their works and creative ideas. Although most of the short films presented are geared toward adults, some sessions over the weekend also kept the little ones entertained.

At the family-oriented screening session entitled "Imagination in My Pocket," the program included works by rising Chinese talents and established filmmakers, such as Japanese animator Koji Yamanura with his latest creation "Dreams into Drawings."

Among Chinese talents was Zhou Xiaolin, who presented "Half of an Apple," a unique piece featuring paper-cutting.

"My work is inspired by my own experience with my twin sister. I find papercutting really fascinating, you can experiment with different materials to create the desired effect. Chinese animation has seen its peaks with the Shanghai Animation Film Studio in the 1960s, but now we are seeing a revival with cultural exchanges and animators experimenting with mediums like sand painting and clay, there is a clash of different cultures and ideas," Zhou said.

Personal experience has been the inspiration for many animators. For Qoky Lee, creator of "Returning Swallows," making the short film has been a healing spiritual journey. 

"'Returning Swallows' is about my childhood memories with my dad. He was quite absent when I was little and I want to depict that alienating feeling I had for my father with this animation. I know that there are many children just like me, with parents working away from home. Hopefully my animation can offer some comfort to them, and let them know that they are not alone," Lee said.

The event not only provided access for the audiences to quality animation, but also offered young talents a chance to interact with top independent animators.

"Feinaki Beijing Animation Week offers a great platform for us animators to communicate with and learn from each other. You get to see how others would construct a story and present their aesthetics," said Zhang Jinruo, animator of "Enwinding Threads," who participated in the screening.

This year marks the second edition of the Feinaki Beijing Animation Week. 

The event got its name from the phenakistiscope, a 19th-century analogue animation device, and aims to display the beauty of the bizarre the way that only animation can.

(Cover: Still from Zhou Xiaolin's "Half of an Apple."/ Feinaki 2020 Beijing Animation Week)